Depression, and what it does to a person

[randypj]

I stand by what I said. You do not realize how much harm you can do to a person who does not know they are dealing with a physical problem. You, by saying, "Don't worry, be happy", simply make it worse by reinforcing their feeling that they are inadequate, because they cannot will it to be gone.

Hyper99--thanking you profusely, in advance, for your thoughtful decision to leave the thread. Point is--YOU DO NOT REALIZE, as in "ain't got no clue". It is a better thread without you.

Can someone tell me, is he for real? He could be funnin', but I doubt it.

Jim--thanks for the confirmation. I thought maybe I'd lost touch with reality again.
--Randy

 

[Thorn]

Yes, St. John's Wort works very well, almost as well as many perscribed medications. I take it myself, and yes, I have clinically diagnosed depression.

I went through incredible hell for almost 3 years before I found out I could get help (or that I even needed it), this was 10 years ago. I can't count how many times I subconsciously tried to take my own life with drugs and booze. I thought life was simply a big "bag of sh!t" for everyone and that I was no exception. Luckily I had some incredible friends that I couldn't drive off no matter what I did or said to them. I got better over time with medical help and the love of my friends and family, but it's not a short road. Every once in a while I still get those old feelings... and the first thing I do is pick up the phone and call a friend or talk with my wife, it's the reality that I'm not alone that makes the difference. That and my spiritual beliefs.

Hang on Reitz, life is great and the truth is it's always what you make of it. If you love it, it'll love you back.

 

[reitz]

Hyper99, I think you missed a lot of what was written in this thread. You said that the person that needs the help is the anonymous author. That author was me, and I think it is pretty clear from what I wrote that this is no longer a major problem for me. Sure, I still have to deal with it every day, but I can recognize the problem for what it is, and I no longer suffer from most of the symptoms.

Yes, there are cases where someone just "needs to be happy." Those are the people who are helped with therapy only. The great majority of the cases are different, though. Most people who suffer from depression are suffering from a physical ailment, and need a physical treatment. I like to compare it to thyroid disease; like depression, it is a physiological chemical imbalance which can only be treated with medicine. You wouldn't tell someone with a condition like that to "just get better," would you? Likewise, someone suffering from a chemical imbalance in the brain can not "just get better."



<< the truth is depression is more of a personal problem >>

No, Hyper99, that statement is the problem.